Albus and the Eagle
by silverdoe21
Summary: Albus Potter, like his dad, has trouble finding the courage to get the girl he wants. Next Generation fanfic :D
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little fic I came up with :D. Please read and enjoy!**

Albus stared across the Great Hall towards the Ravenclaw table, not noticing that milk was dripping from his spoon onto his robes. Rose patiently moved her cousin's hand to his bowl without looking up from her copy of _Numerology and Grammatica_.

James rolled his eyes and flicked a piece of toast at his little brother. When he got no reaction he smirked and said to his best friend Lewis, "I think we've lost him for good this time." Lewis grinned and reached for the bacon.

"Yeah he's caught it good and proper."

James frowned, looking puzzled. "Caught what?"

"The Love Bug, idiot."

James stared from Lewis to Albus incredulously for a moment, then snorted into his scrambled eggs; Rose looked faintly disgusted.  
"Albus? In _love_? Ha! Sure. Good one Lew."

Lewis simply shrugged and went back to his breakfast while James turned the thought over in his head. Albus suddenly sighed and seemed to awaken from a deep reverie.

"So – er – how're things Al?" James asked with an attempt at a casual tone, ruined somewhat by his badly-suppressed smile. Albus turned to his brother, looking vaguely surprised to see him sitting there.

"Fine – fine…I should get going…Transfiguration." Albus stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, a glazed look in his eyes. James shook his head in disbelief as Albus dragged himself out of the Great Hall, chancing one last furtive glance back at the Ravenclaw table. Rose looked up from her book and raised her eyebrows at James, who stared blankly back.

"What?"

"You are so _clueless_, James," Rose shook her head exasperatedly.

"What did I do?"

"He's your _brother_, you're supposed to encourage him in situations like this, not laugh at him."

"Exactly, he's my brother, I'm _supposed_ to laugh at him. Anyway, situations like what?" Even Lewis was looking at him with an amused expression now.

Rose closed her book, always a sign that a lecture was on its way. "It's obvious, Albus has liked Adessa Fenwick for ages-"

"-wait, which one's Adessa Fenwick?" James interrupted, craning his neck to see the Ravenclaw table.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment, as though asking for strength; if there was one thing she hated more than people not understanding something right away, it was being interrupted. "She's the girl with the long blonde hair, the one with her head in a book…don't _stare_, James…anyway, Albus is clearly head over heels for her and the least you could do is give him some support."

James stared at her as though she was a different species for a moment before bursting into guffaws of laughter again. Rose glared at him furiously before shoving _Numerology and Grammatica_ back into her bag and stalking away, her bushy red hair seeming to become bushier as it always did when she was annoyed.

Albus didn't pay as much attention as he would usually have done in his lessons that morning. One fact had managed to lodge itself in his brain; James now knew exactly how he felt about Adessa, and that could mean nothing good. James had had plenty of girlfriends but as far as he was concerned Albus and girls just didn't mix. He had next to no chance of letting Adessa know how he felt now, although, if he was honest with himself, how much of a chance was there of that anyway?

In the common room that night James came over to where Albus was sat by the fire with Rose and Hugo, completing his Potions essay. Nudging him to get his attention, he nodded towards the Gryffindor noticeboard.

"Seen the date of the next Hogsmeade weekend?" he asked, a sly grin spreading across his freckled face.

"Nope," Albus said, barely looking up from his essay.

"Fourteenth of February," James beamed, "Valentine's Day. Know who you're going with yet?"

Albus shrugged indifferently, pretending he had no idea where James was heading with this. "Rose probably."

"Not that Rose isn't _great_, Al," James said, with a cheerful grin in Rose's direction, as she had looked up briefly at the mention of her name, "but I can think of a few problems with you going out with our cousin."

"Ew, James!" Albus looked up properly now, "you're gross, do you know that?"

"I've been told, yes," he said conversationally, "but I've heard through the grapevine a certain Ravenclaw might be heading into Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day as well…interested?"

"Get out of it, James," Albus scowled, pushing his brother away from him and turning back to his essay.

"Fine, little bro'," James called from across the common room as he walked away, "but I'd ask her quick if I were you, girls like her get snatched up fast!"

Albus tried to focus his attention on his homework, but he couldn't help his mind wandering; Potions wasn't, after all, the most captivating of subjects. He attempted to ignore what James had said about Adessa being snatched up fast. As much he disliked her being spoken about as if she were an object, his brother was probably right. He'd better get a move on.

**Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know if I should continue :D. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy :D  
**

By the next day Albus had convinced himself that the only way to get Adessa to notice him (and get James off his back), would be to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with him on Valentine's Day. He told himself that when he saw her, he would just grit his teeth and do it. For the first time he found himself hoping that she wouldn't be in the Great Hall when he went down for breakfast; but sure enough, there she was, sitting with her book propped open against a jug, her blonde hair tucked behind her ears to prevent it falling into her eyes.

His heart jumped slightly when he spotted her, but his legs didn't seem to want to move. He stood, framed in the doorway to the Great Hall, until a square-jawed Slytherin pushed past him so forcefully that he fell headfirst into the Ravenclaw table. Feeling the warmth creeping up his face and neck, he pulled himself to his feet, brushing cereal off the front of his robes. He mumbled an apology to the scowling third year girl he had sprayed with cereal and made his way to the Gryffindor table. To his immense relief, James was not down yet; he could only imagine the look on his brother's face if he had seen Albus' fall. He slid onto the bench next to Lily who, out of pity for her brother, refrained from laughing. She patted his arm sympathetically and poured some pumpkin juice into his goblet.

"Well I don't think Adessa saw anyway, Al," she grinned, tilting her head towards the Ravenclaw table where Adessa continued to read. Albus huffed and slammed his goblet, from which he had been about to take a sip, down on the table more forcefully than he had meant to.

"_You_ know too?" he asked, slightly annoyed that everyone seemed to know what he didn't want them to. Lily shrugged apologetically.

"To be honest Albus, you're not exactly hiding it well. Just…go over and talk to her, I'm almost certain she likes you."

"_Almost_ certain?" Albus asked suspiciously, not believing that any such thing could be true.

"Well I'm not a Legilimens, am I?" Lily rolled her eyes and pushed her older brother off the bench. He stumbled on the hem of his robes and almost lost his balance. This time she did laugh; "watch out for tables!" Albus purposely hit her over the head with his bag as he headed towards the Ravenclaw table; it only made her laugh harder.

About three feet from Adessa Albus lost his nerve and veered off to the left in the direction of the doors into the Entrance Hall. Just before he reached the cool and quiet he heard his sister's mocking shout. "Coward!"

***

Albus seemed to run into Adessa much more than usual that day; on the way to class; walking back to the common room at lunch; going into the library to begin his Charms homework. _I really must be a coward_, he thought as he passed her in the Entrance Hall on the way down to the Quidditch Pitch for practise. After changing into his Quidditch robes he stepped out into the cool evening air and breathed in the fresh smell of the grounds; it was quite warm for February.

"Right Team, let's start with some quick laps of the Pitch just to warm up," Rachel called, the Captain's badge pinned to her chest glinting in the soft evening light. Albus mounted his new Meteor 2021, a Christmas present from his parents, and kicked off from the slightly muddy ground, revelling in the feel of the cold air whipping his face, his robes flapping around him as he climbed higher and higher, his untidy fringe blowing in his eyes. He soared around the perimeter of the Pitch, racing James, a scarlet and gold blur against the backdrop of the stands and, behind them, the gently waving branches of the trees in the Forbidden Forest. As he pointed his broom handle down and moved into a fast dive, gathering speed the further he flew, he heard the Captain's whistle sound somewhere above him and pulled himself out of the dive a few feet above the ground. Practise was about to begin.

***

An hour later, Albus had changed back into his school robes and was making his way up to Gryffindor Tower, broomstick on his shoulder. James had stayed behind to speak to Rachel; Albus had a shrewd feeling she was about to become his brother's new 'catch'. As he turned into the seventh floor corridor, he stopped still. Pausing to listen, he heard a girl crying quietly. As he passed the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy opposite a blank stretch of wall, he hesitated again. He could see a few strands of dark blonde hair behind a statue further up the corridor. It was Adessa. He turned automatically to head back the way he had come, but he stopped himself, Lily's shout echoing in his ears. _Coward_.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he forced his legs to walk forwards; they didn't seem to belong to him anymore, rather they were moving towards the statue of their own accord.

"Adessa?" he said, so quietly he was surprised she heard him. She looked up, startled, and jumped backwards, hitting her head on the stone wall behind her. "Oh, I'm sorry! I was just…are you…okay?" His lips stumbled over the words and he found himself mentally banging his own head against the wall in embarrassment. Adessa hastily wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her robes, avoiding his gaze. Not that it mattered; he was staring at her shoulder.

"Oh, it's you Albus," she tried to smile, "I'm sorry, I was just…hay fever-"

Albus looked up so fast he heard his neck crack and tried to hide his grimace of pain. She knew his name! Albus almost laughed in surprise, but remembering she was upset, stopped himself. Adessa tried to hurry away, still desperately wiping her puffy eyes on her robes. To his own astonishment, he reached out a hand and grabbed her arm; again he felt as though the hand was not his own, but that someone else was operating it for him. To his even greater astonishment, Adessa didn't try to pull away; instead she stood facing him, shivering, although the corridor was quite warm. Realising he was still holding her arm, Albus let her go and the two of them stood for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, thinking as he said it how pathetic it sounded. He couldn't help noticing how the tears in her eyes made them sparkle like jewels. They were a pale blue, so light they were almost grey. _Like diamonds_, he thought, before shaking himself mentally. _Concentrate on what she's saying Albus_.

"–nothing really…I'll be okay." She tried to smile but it looked forced. "I should get back to my common room before curfew…I'll see you around, Albus." Adessa turned and started to walk away down the corridor, away from Barnabas the Barmy and his dancing trolls, leaving Albus having a furious mental battle with himself. The brave (or foolish) side won.

"Hey, wait!" he called, actually reaching out an arm as if to draw her back. She turned and looked at him expectantly. "Do you…want to…I mean, you don't have to…just if you like….nah, forget it." Albus shook his head, feeling pathetic again, but Adessa laughed, although it was choked by tears.

"What is it?"

Taking a deep breath he forced himself to get the words out in one go. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Valentine's Day?" He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, letting the silence spread thickly. When he opened them again, it was to see her looking surprised but flattered.

"I'm sorry, Albus," she said sadly, looking genuinely apologetic, "but I can't."

And she walked away, leaving Albus standing alone by the statue. His insides had become numb, or empty, he couldn't quite decide which. After what felt to Albus like an hour, when some feeling had returned to his legs, he made himself set off back to the Gryffindor common room.

_ I_ _bet Dad never had this much trouble with girls_, he thought bitterly as he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and clambered clumsily through the portrait hole.

**Thanks for reading! Please review :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's Chapter 3! (I don't own Harry Potter. The only character that belongs to me is Adessa). Enjoy!! :D**

Whenever Albus saw Adessa in the corridors after that dreadful night, the memory of which he cringed at in mortification, she glanced at him surreptitiously and suddenly seemed to become very interested in her shoes. She determinedly avoided his gaze in the Great Hall and once, when he entered the library to return _Hogwarts: A History_ (which Rose had forced him to read – but Heaven forbid she lend him her own copy), she had looked up in panic, gathered her books in her arms and hurried out of the library without a backwards glance.

_Anyone would think I'd turned HER down_, Albus thought, as she tripped on the Marble Staircase in her desperation to run into the Great Hall away from him. James came into the Entrance Hall at that moment, hurrying to catch up with Albus on the stairs.

"Someone was in a hurry," he said, tilting his head towards the door leading into the Great Hall. "Relationship troubles?" Albus chose not to answer. "Aw come on little bro'! What happened?"

James was an infamous prankster though he could be sympathetic when he wanted to be. But Albus was never sure when he was being serious. He didn't know why he was keeping the truth from his brother; he supposed he was worried about being teased. Whatever the reason, he felt certain a lie would be safer.

"It's nothing really…I beat her on a Transfiguration test. Vanishing spells aren't her strong point. She's a bit annoyed." The test wasn't a lie, but there was no way Albus could beat Adessa on anything; she hadn't been sorted into Ravenclaw for nothing.

James smirked. "Ah well, she's a Ravenclaw after all, she'll want to beat everyone. You'd better not get better than her in the Transfiguration OWL though...she'll murder you," he winked and slapped him on the back. "Have you asked her to Hogsmeade yet?"

Albus' insides seemed to freeze and he could feel himself going red. Pretending to be interested in the portraits lining the walls of the corridor, he avoided looking at James so he wouldn't notice. "Nah, don't think I'll bother," he said casually, "bit too moody for me."

James smirked. "Yeah you want one who likes a bit of fun, if you know what I mean," he winked as they turned into the corridor leading to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Albus shook his head at his brother but couldn't help himself smiling.

***

James may have been easy to lie to about why Adessa was avoiding him, but Rose wasn't so gullible. As they sat by the fire in the common room the night before Valentine's Day, she sighed and closed _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_ more loudly than was necessary, causing Albus to look up, startled.

"Look, it doesn't matter that you're not going to Hogsmeade with Adessa. Don't beat yourself up over why she didn't accept, Al," she said, leaning forwards in her armchair and looking expectantly at Albus, waiting for his reply. He stared at her for a moment before saying anything.

"How do you know this stuff, Rose?" he asked incredulously, surprised again by the depth of her knowledge.

She laughed and shook her head. "You're an open book, Al. And I'm good at reading."

"I'm not bothered that I'm not going with her. Honestly I don't care." He knew he was lying, but he couldn't stand Rose's pitying expression.

"It's okay, Al –"

"- Just drop it okay, Rose?" Albus snapped irritably.

She rolled her eyes and Albus was sure he heard her mutter "_boys_" under her breath, before opening her book and burying herself in it again. Not wanting to stay in the same room as Rose when she was in a bad mood, he made up an excuse about being tired and made his way up to the boys' dormitory.

***

The next morning Albus woke abruptly, a leaden feeling in his stomach. It took him a few moments to remember why he felt so unhappy; when he remembered the Hogsmeade visit he groaned and turned onto his side. He tried to drift off to sleep again, fully prepared to stay in bed all day and miss the trip altogether, but he didn't seem to be able to close his mind, so, half an hour later, when he heard movement from behind the hangings of his bed, he forced himself to get up and pull on jeans and a T-shirt. Weak winter sunlight was filtering in through the window by his bed; the sky was a steely grey, the promise of snow clear in the air. _Great_, Albus thought, _depressed and cold_. He usually liked snow, but today the thought of it simply annoyed him.

He went down to the Great Hall for breakfast where he met Rose deep in conversation with Lily.

"- meeting him in the Entrance Hall after breakfast," Lily was saying as he sat down on a bench and reached for the porridge. The unusually dreamy smile on her face made him instantly suspicious.

"Meeting _who_ in the Entrance Hall after breakfast?" he asked, his eyes narrowed. She turned her attention to him and raised her eyebrows, looking remarkably like their mother.

"None of your business," she said, tossing her fiery red hair over her shoulder and turning back to Rose.

"It is my business if you're meeting a guy on Valentine's Day," Albus continued to watch her suspiciously.

Huffing, Lily rolled her eyes. "You are _so_ much like James! If I want to go to Hogsmeade with a guy I will, I don't see how you can stop me –"Albus opened his mouth to retaliate but Lily cut across him, "- _and_ if you hex him I will KILL you Albus Potter!"

"Don't you think you're a bit young to be going out with guys?" Albus asked, trying to keep his tone casual but his stony expression giving him away.

"I'm almost fourteen! You're just bitter because that Ravenclaw girl won't go out with you. And that's not my fault, Albus, maybe she noticed how bloody immature you are," she hissed viciously. "So excuse me, I have somebody to meet." And with that she jumped to her feet and stormed off, muttering angrily under her breath as she went.

Albus watched her go in disbelief. "What's got into _her_?" he asked Rose, who was determinedly avoiding his gaze.

Sighing she pushed her bushy hair back off her face agitatedly. "Do you have to treat her like a child, Al?" she asked, glancing up at him nervously.

"She's only thirteen!"

"_Yes_, I know, but she's definitely old enough to make her own decisions. She doesn't need you dictating to her what she can and can't do. Plus Sam's a good guy." She grimaced, instantly regretting telling Albus his name.

"Sam? Sam Davies? That Hufflepuff moron? What an idiot!" Albus proceeded to let out a torrent of insults while Rose watched him, somewhat amused.

"You only think he's a moron, an idiot, a pretty boy and…what was the other one? Oh yeah, a brainless troll, because he's going out with your sister. But insulting him isn't going to make her like him any less, so you might as well accept that she's seeing him," Rose said patiently when he paused to draw breath.

Albus glared at her for a moment before saying "fine" and taking out his feelings on his bacon by stabbing it moodily with his fork. Ten minutes later they made their way into the Entrance Hall, signed themselves out and began the walk into the village. They didn't say much until they reached the gates out of the Hogwarts grounds, when it began to snow lightly. Albus buried his hands in the pockets of his jeans, shivering.

"Do you want to get a Butterbeer in The Three Broomsticks?" Rose asked hopefully, her teeth chattering.

"Sure," Albus nodded, hoping Adessa wouldn't be in the pub. The warmth hit them the minute they stepped through the door. As usual the place was crowded with students seeking shelter from the snow, which was falling more heavily now. After a quick glance at the tables, Albus was relieved to find that she was nowhere to be seen, and led Rose over to an empty table in the corner.

"I'll get the drinks," she said, reaching into her pocket for silver. He nodded and took the opportunity while she was gone to glance around the overflowing pub. Hagrid was sitting a few feet away, talking to Professor Aisling; he waved cheerily at Albus when he spotted him.

"Alrigh', Albus?" he called over the din.

"Fine, thanks, Hagrid," he grinned.

"No date, Al?" Hagrid shouted, looking concerned. Albus scowled in reply; Hagrid laughed. "Jus' kiddin', Albus, jus' kiddin'," he winked, turning back to the Professor and his three large tankards of mulled mead, at which point Rose returned, clutching two much smaller tankards. They sat in silence for a while, drinking their Butterbeers, enjoying the warmth and the buzz of relaxed chatter from surrounding tables. As Albus drained the rest of his drink, the door of the pub opened with a cheery tinkle. Looking up automatically, his elbow slipped off the table when he saw who had walked in. Adessa and a group of Ravenclaw friends were making their way to a small table dangerously close to Albus'. He felt his hands become clammy and his face and neck grow rather warm; she looked very pretty in a light blue jumper, her wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail. Rose turned to see who he was staring at.

"Oh for Heaven's sake, Albus! Why don't you just _ask_ her why she wouldn't accept your offer?" she asked, exasperated.

"Because then she'll know I care! I – I mean…she'll _think_ I care…because I don't," Albus stuttered weakly.

Rose huffed and stood up. "Let's get out of here then, before you start drooling." Choosing to ignore her comment, Albus stood too and followed her out of The Three Broomsticks, glancing quickly back towards Adessa's table before stepping out into the thickly whirling snow. As he turned he saw Adessa whip her head around and immerse herself in her friends' conversation, in a way which made Albus think that maybe, just maybe, she had been watching him leave.

The thought that Adessa had wanted to see him before he left the pub made his heart feel much lighter than it had before; he thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the village with Rose, and even an unpleasant encounter with Scorpius Malfoy and his sneering Slytherin friends couldn't dampen his mood.

***

Later that afternoon he and Rose stood on the hill overlooking the village, looking up at the dilapidated Shrieking Shack. It was bending over slightly with age, its wildly overgrown garden blanketed in around three feet of snow.

"I love winter," Rose said suddenly, her eyes following a robin that was hopping across the roof of the Shack, leaving its tiny prints in the snow; the only flash of colour in the wide expanse of dazzling white.

"Why?" Albus asked, turning to look at her. Her vivid hair was as intensely red as the robin's breast and had been dragged back (not without putting up a good fight; loose tendrils were sticking out in every direction) into a plait. She seemed to be contemplating her answer as she continued to watch the robin, which had now created a hole in the snow on the ground with its beak and was ferreting around in the frozen earth for non-existent worms.

"Because everything is at peace in winter. People think it all dies during this season…" she waved her arm vaguely at the leafless trees and the tips of the long blades of grass just visible through the snow. "…But it doesn't. It's just…sleeping. It sounds stupid I know," she finished in a very quiet voice that was quite unlike Rose. Quiet just wasn't something Rose did. She pulled her soft brown eyes away from the robin and looked down at the snow-covered fence she was leaning on; Albus noticed her blush beneath her freckles.

"It doesn't sound stupid," Albus said in a hushed voice, "I understand. It's like it's…waiting for the time when it can all wake up and start again. That's how I imagine it must have been like during the War; people in hiding, waiting for the moment when they could begin their life again…build it back up. I know it was more than that – people were dying – but it's easier to imagine it this way than to think about…everything else. Of course I don't know much about everything else. Mum and Dad never talk about it."

"My parents don't either," Rose said, still in the same quiet voice, "I suppose we can't blame them, it must have been terrible. Losing Uncle Fred especially…and all those friends of theirs. I wish I could have met them."

"Me too. I've seen pictures and heard stories, but it'd be great to talk to them. Find out more…we have each other though. And our family. We should be glad of that."

Rose looked at him now, smiling. "Yeah, we should be." They spent the next fifteen minutes in silence, watching the snow twisting and swirling through the air, blown in every direction by the fierce wind before they trudged back up to school.

***

To Albus' barely-suppressed delight, Lily's date with Sam Davis hadn't gone well; Lily had returned to the common room on the evening of the trip, her eyes flashing angrily. Apparently Sam had ditched her for his friends halfway through the day, and Lily had spent the afternoon drifting around the village alone.

"And _don't_ gloat, Albus," she'd said after telling the story and Albus had abstained (with difficulty), from saying "I told you so".

The next few weeks passed uneventfully; a blur of lessons, Quidditch and brutal snowball fights out in the grounds, one particularly competitive one ending with Louis being led up to the Hospital Wing sporting a black eye, followed by a distressed Lucy who was stammering her apologies after hitting him with a snowball containing a particularly hard piece of ice.

On a wet day near the end of March (the rain had turned the snow to muddy sludge, much to the students' annoyance; they returned to the castle after every Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures lesson with their shoes full of slush), Albus was scouring the shelves in the Library for _Magical Mediterranean Water Plants and their Properties_ to look up a particular type of water weed for his Herbology homework, when he saw a pair of blue-grey eyes watching him through a gap in the shelves. His heart jumped into his throat before he realised who it was; it took a few moments for his breathing to return to normal.

"Adessa!" he breathed, as she stepped out from behind the shelves and into his row of books, her pale face flushed.

"I'm sorry to make you jump, Albus!" she said, biting her lip, "but could I – could I talk to you…please?" Her voice dropped to a whisper and Albus stared at her, not saying anything. She hadn't said one word to him for weeks, not since she had turned him down for Valentine's Day, and now she wanted to talk to him? What's more, she was nervous?

"Please?"

**So, that's Chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed, please review! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 :D. I don't own Harry Potter obviously.**

She took a small step closer to Albus; he noticed that there were thin streaks of red in the whites of her eyes and they were shadowed by deep lines, as if she had been crying again. She was clutching a piece of parchment so tightly in her fist that her knuckles had become strained and white.

"Erm…if you like," Albus said quietly, all too aware of a group of second year Gryffindors listening to their conversation furtively from a murky corner of the library, their faces half-hidden in the shadows cast by the shelves. Adessa seemed completely oblivious of this fact as she continued to watch Albus anxiously. He looked at her superciliously for a moment, his eyebrows drawn together, before saying, "how about we go in the Restricted Section? It's more…private there."

For a moment Albus thought she hadn't heard him, but then Adessa nodded and turned away from him, seemingly not caring that Madam Pince may be lurking behind a shelf somewhere. Albus, however, glanced around quickly before ducking under the barrier which separated the Restricted Section from the main Library and following Adessa into the furthest corner, away from the soft glare of the low-hanging lamps. This section seemed completely cut off from everything else; the turning of pages and scratching of quills was silenced and Albus had the slightly disconcerting feeling that someone, or something, was watching them. The books themselves had an almost threatening presence, as if they wondered how anyone dared disturb the stillness. Albus felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle uncomfortably and decided to concentrate his attention fully on Adessa to take his mind away from these unpleasant sensations.

She breathed deeply, staring at a point above his left shoulder. "I'm sorry Albus," she began shakily, her voice cracking when she said his name. "For…for not going to Hogsmeade with you. You might not believe me, but I did want to go with you, I really did!" Lines marred her forehead and her eyes moved to his face, wide and bright; she was almost begging him to believe her. "It hurt me a lot to have to turn you down but…" her voice trailed away and she was once again staring past Albus' shoulder.

Albus felt like he should be annoyed at her for confusing him, and he had been, until now. She looked so desperate and panicky; he felt his resolve waver as he watched her. "But then…if you wanted to come with me, why did you turn me down?" he asked, his forehead furrowed in confusion. _Girls really don't make any sense_, he thought, bewildered.

"Because of my parents," Adessa said abruptly; her jaw had stiffened and she seemed to have steeled herself for him to start shouting at her, but he just looked more bemused.

"Your parents?"

She nodded. "They're big supporters of the…old ways. They work for the Ministry and if anyone there knew – imagine what they'd get for that? But at home…it's different. They hate Muggle-borns and…" she looked sickened as she spoke and seemed determined not to look at Albus, who's expression was blank. "They're always saying that the worst thing that ever happened was H-Him being defeated. I don't dare say what I think in front of them but I – I think they're wrong. I can't let anyone know what they believe! All my friends would turn away from me…they already wonder why I never invite them round to my house during the holidays. And…my parents forbid me from dating any boy who's not a Pureblood. I know you're a Pureblood…not that I care about that at all!" she added quickly, looking stricken, "but I dread to think what they would do if I told them I was going out with the son of Harry Potter. They'd probably kill me, not to mention you. I didn't accept your offer to go to Hogsmeade because I was scared of my parents' reaction. I've never told anyone about this before, but this letter pushed me over the edge." She held up the piece of parchment she still clutched in her hand and her eyes suddenly grew dark, her frown more pronounced. "It's from them. They tried forbidding me from having contact with my friends, even the ones who are Purebloods, because they're 'Blood traitors'. It was the last straw for me. I'm sorry, Albus…for lying to you and for having such an awful family. You must hate me now; I just…wanted you to know…"

There was a long silence in which the two of them could hear the candles sputtering in the lamps and a faint whispering issuing from the books lining the shelves. Albus tried to let the information sink in before saying, rather lamely and in a slightly hoarse voice, "I don't hate you."

Adessa let out a sardonic laugh which echoed through their row of books. "Of course you do!"

Albus raised his eyebrows, "no, I don't. I don't care what your parents, or mine, think. I like you, Adessa. A lot." Albus was too sure of what he was saying to realise that he had just admitted to a girl that he liked her. Adessa looked him in the eyes for the first time since she had started talking.

"I like you too. A lot."

"Then why can we not at least try going out? We can keep it a secret. We don't have to tell your parents, or mine…not even our friends if you don't want."

She looked at him almost pityingly. "They'd find out, Albus. And my parents would murder you."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Come on, let's go for it!" The way his eyes lit up with anticipation and a thrill she had never seen there before seemed to fill Adessa with a feeling that was inexplicable, and before her mind had caught up with the rest of her body, she had thrown her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Albus froze against her body for a moment before pulling her closer into him, spreading his hand against the small of her back, his mouth moving with hers, tasting the sweetness of her lips on his. He could hear her tiny gasps of breath and feel her heart fluttering beneath her robes; the delicate scent of her skin made his breath catch in his throat; the warmth of her prompted him to pull her even closer, so that their bodies seemed entwined…

"FROLICKING!" Albus and Adessa pulled apart and Albus spun around to see what Adessa was staring at over his shoulder, her mouth gaping. Madam Pince was standing between the rows of books, her face crimson with shock and rage, a duster clutched in her pincer-like hands; she had obviously been about to dust off her precious tomes when she had discovered the two students, who were now turning a similar shade of scarlet. "OUT! HOW _DARE_ YOU…_CAVORT_ AROUND THESE BOOKS? GET OUT!" And she chased them from the Library, both of them trying desperately not to laugh.

Once they were in the cool of the corridor, Albus took Adessa's hand, grinning. She grinned slyly back and they proceeded down the corridor to find somewhere more private to continue their 'frolicking'.

**Thanks for reading :D. I might make the next chapter the last, depending on how I feel about this story..**


	5. Chapter 5

3 Months Later

**So here's the final chapter! :D Sorry it took a while to get it up. (I know most people write James with red hair, but I imagine him with black, so I wrote it that way :D)**

Albus and Adessa spent as much of the months following their kiss in the Library together as they could, although in the run-up to the OWLs they were forced to steal brief moments between classes and revision sessions. To Albus' dismay he never seemed to look his best whenever he met Adessa in the corridors; his hair was always more untidy than usual due to the amount of times he'd run his hands through it in frustration, his skin was pale from being stuck inside revising so often and there were deep shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep.

Although Adessa often appeared strained and exhausted, her eyes always lit up whenever she saw him, and the fleeting moments they managed to spend together were enough to wipe any exam worries from both their minds. It was becoming increasingly frustrating, too, that various members of Albus' family kept discovering them hidden in niches, behind tapestries concealing corridors or in seemingly empty classrooms.

"Can't you choose somewhere more _private_ to have your little sessions?" Rose asked, irritated, after coming across the two of them huddled together behind a pillar in the courtyard one evening. "That's the fifth time, Al!" They were sitting at a table in the Gryffindor Common Room, straining their necks to see each other across the tottering pile of books between them.

"It was private until you came butting in!" Albus retorted angrily, "And it's not just you; James, Lily, Louis…you're all at it!"

Rose laughed. "Yeah, because we all hide, waiting for just the right moment to jump out and embarrass you." She seemed to think to herself for a moment before saying, "well, actually, that might be true for James, but it obviously isn't for me. Just…find somewhere better next time."

Their conversation was cut short at this point as Albus was deluged in a cascade of books which had just collapsed on top of him; Rose jumped to her feet to help and once all the books had been rearranged into two neat piles, there was nothing more to be said, and they both buried themselves feverishly in their revision once more.

***

The OWLs came upon the fifth years with the force of a stampeding elephant, and so it was that Albus sat in the Great Hall on a particularly hot afternoon, scratching his chin with the tip of his quill, his forehead furrowed. The exam paper swam before of his eyes; flecks of dust were drifting in front of him, glittering gold in the light pouring in through the high windows. Professor Towler walked slowly up the aisle to Albus' left, his boots echoing noisily off the stone floor, his long shadow falling over Albus' parchment. Albus found the sounds of his footsteps particularly distracting.

Laying down his quill Albus pressed his hands over his eyes for a moment; the blank darkness was a welcome relief from the dazzling sunlight. Opening them, on the pretext of shifting in his seat to sit more comfortably, he looked surreptitiously to his right. Rose was sitting three seats ahead in the next row, her head bent so low over her parchment he could not see anything apart from her thick red hair, but he knew she would be writing ferociously. _She's probably filled four sheets by now_, Albus thought anxiously. He was determinedly avoiding peeking around for Adessa; he didn't need more distractions.

Letting out a long, low breath, Albus glanced up at the giant hourglass at the front of the hall. _Not long to go_. Turning his attention back to his Transfiguration paper, he picked up his quill again and began to write, glad that this was, at least, his last exam.

***

Albus spent the afternoon after their final exam by the Lake with James and Rose, James bewitching water bombs to pelt themselves at any first years that were passing, much to Albus' amusement. Even Rose, relaxing after the stress of the exams, found it difficult to suppress a grin every so often.

A group of fifth year Ravenclaw girls were sitting on the grass a few feet away (Albus recognised two of them as Adessa's friends), their heads together, clearly discussing the Transfiguration paper in anxious voices. Both Albus and Rose preferred not to go over exams once they were finished, and blocked out their voices by talking loudly of the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, which was scheduled for the next day, Saturday. Albus and James were both on the team; Seeker and Chaser respectively. Rose loved Quidditch, almost as much as books, but there wasn't much that could be said for her talents on the Pitch, although James and Albus were both careful not to mention this to her as they needed her to play with them during the holidays.

"We've got the best chances," James said confidently, nodding, "no doubt about it. Especially now Lily's on the team too; she's got really good!"

"Yeah well, no wonder," Albus grinned, "now mum's been giving her 'special lessons'…"

James looked at up at him, confused, stretched out on his front on the bank of the Lake. "'Special lessons'?"

"Yeah, she's been teaching her all her moves during the holidays," Albus laughed at the expression on James' face.

"That's so unfair, she never gave us lessons! Neither did Dad, he just said we had to 'find our feet' on our own or some crap like that…I knew about the 'special lessons', I just thought they meant cooking or whatever – something women did…"

Rose, who had been listening to the conversation and looking amused, scoffed. "Oh please, 'something women did'? Men cook too you know!" Her freckled face clouded over and she glared at James, who waved a hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, sorry. I just didn't know they meant _Quidditch_ lessons…I'd wondered where she learnt that Macaskie Manoeuvre…" he stared darkly out over the Lake, apparently thinking to himself.

A few silent minutes later James stood up and leant against the beech tree which was providing them with shade, casually running his hands through his dark hair as he watched three sixth year girls cooling themselves off in the water. Albus smirked and turned to Rose, ready to continue the Quidditch conversation, but was interrupted by the arrival of a smiling Adessa.

"Hi, Albus," she beamed, "can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Albus grinned back at her, ignoring Rose's knowing expression. He allowed Adessa to lead him away to the shade of another tree, where she took him aback by pulling him into a passionate kiss.

"That was what you wanted to talk about?" Albus raised his eyebrows when they broke apart but couldn't hide his laughter.

Ignoring him, Adessa wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've been waiting to do that all day…"

Spurred by her words and feeling suddenly reckless, Albus looked down at her slyly. "Fancy a midnight stroll tonight?" he winked, reminding himself forcibly of James.

"A midnight stroll?" Adessa pretended to ponder the thought for a moment, "Sounds…intriguing. Where to?"

"It's a surprise," Albus whispered, leaning down for another kiss.

***

At five to midnight, Albus found himself crouched behind the banister of the Marble Staircase, peering round for Adessa. He kept checking his watch edgily; _what if she didn't show up?_ But sure enough, only minutes later he heard footsteps on the Staircase and as she stepped into the Entrance Hall, Adessa looked around cautiously, her arms folded tightly as if it were cold, though it was one of the warmest nights of the year so far.

Deciding to throw caution to the winds, Albus jumped out from behind the banister; almost immediately he realised he'd made a mistake. Sensing movement behind her, Adessa had spun round and let out a small scream, her hand flying to her wand. Diving forwards Albus clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming anymore and pulled her down behind the banister with him.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Adessa hissed when he had taken his hand away from her mouth, "I could have woken the whole castle!"

"Yeah, but not if you hadn't screamed!" Albus whispered, his hand clutching the sleeve of her robes.

"And whose fault is it that I did?" Adessa glared at him. Albus didn't answer; they simply looked at each other for a moment before bursting into silent laughter.

"Come on," he said in an undertone when they had gathered themselves together, tilting his head towards the oak front doors, which were resolutely closed.

"Where are we going?" Adessa murmured, grabbing hold of his hand as they crossed the dark Entrance Hall, their footsteps reverberating frustratingly loudly on the flagstones.

"You'll see," Albus muttered, giving her warm hand a reassuring squeeze; grasping the great iron handle of the front doors, he gave a hearty tug and they began to open slowly, tediously. Once there was a gap large enough for the two of them to slip through Albus paused, listening hard. He didn't know what he had expected. Alarms? Teachers to come running? But there was nothing. The Entrance Hall remained as perfectly still as ever; the only change a thin strip of moonlight filtering in through the gap, cutting a narrow silvery line across the shadowy floor.

Stepping out into the moonlit grounds, Adessa close behind, Albus closed the doors and breathed in the fresh, perfectly still night air. The leaves on the topmost branches of the trees in the Forbidden Forest waved ever so slightly in the almost non-existent breeze. Hagrid's hut was in total darkness; it was nearly impossible to discern it from the thick tree trunks behind it, which stood so closely together they were just a wide expanse of black. Turning to Adessa, whose pale skin and fair hair were lit up in the light from the moon hanging above them, Albus whispered, "ready?"

"Ready," Adessa breathed, and allowed him to lead her down the stone steps and onto the sloping lawn, towards the Whomping Willow. Feeling slightly conspicuous walking directly in the remaining light from the castle, they veered slightly so their figures were in shadow.

Adessa didn't speak until she realised where they were heading; she pulled Albus' hand back involuntarily, staring at the Willow. Albus hesitated, waiting for her to say something. "The Whomping Willow?" she asked incredulously, "are you _mental_?"

Shaking his head, grinning, Albus made to continue walking, but was forced to stop again as Adessa refused to move. "The _Whomping Willow_, Albus…" she said as though explaining something to a small child. "…'_Whomping_' being a key word here."

"Just come with me," Albus pleaded, attempting to pull her along, but she dug her heels into the hard earth, her face set. "Please…trust me."

She relaxed her grip on his hand slightly and let out a long breath. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she shook her head and started to walk, "you are insane, Albus Potter. Completely and utterly insane. If my parents found out…"

Albus raised his eyebrows, "would you care?"

Adessa's mouth fell open and she blinked. "No!" she laughed, and sped up.

As they stepped into the shadow of the motionless Whomping Willow, Adessa looked expectantly at Albus. "Now wh-aaagh!" she started to speak but it became a scream as one of the tree's lower branches took a vicious swipe at her legs. She ran backwards hurriedly, watching disbelievingly as Albus bent down, picked up a long branch from the base of the tree and reached forwards, prodding a large knot on the trunk with the end of the branch.

Adessa gaped as she watched the Whomping Willow's branches slow, creaking slightly, and become as still as the branches on the surrounding trees. Now only the leaves were moving in the light wind, whispering. "Whoa…" she breathed, "where did you learn that?"

Albus grinned and said simply, "James."

"I'll say no more," Adessa held up a hand and approached the tree apprehensively.

"Down here," Albus gestured to a gap at the base of the trunk, through which they could see nothing but darkness. He was now rather regretting this plan; _well there's no turning back now_.

"Where does it lead to?"

"Do you really think I'm going to tell you? It'll spoil the surprise," he winked again, wondering to himself why he insisted on acting so much like his brother. Adessa crouched down by the entrance to the tunnel and squinted, trying to see passed the dark mouth.

"_Lumos_," she lit her wand but the faint light hardly penetrated the darkness at all, "well I suppose there's only one way to find out where it leads isn't there?"

Albus grinned, "Yep." Adessa shifted to the side so he could enter first; putting out the light at the end of her wand, she stowed it away in her robes and followed behind him. The light from the grounds disappeared almost immediately, so they were plunged into total darkness, feeling their way along the wide tunnel with only their hands to guide them. An earthy smell filled Albus' nostrils and he felt soil crumbling beneath his fingers as he crawled along on his hands and knees. The passage narrowed and began to slope steeply downwards; he had to duck his head to avoid hitting the roof of the tunnel.

"How much longer?" Adessa asked slightly breathlessly after they had been crawling along for a while. A sharp pain was shooting up Albus' neck and he grimaced as he turned slightly to reply.

"Not much further," he panted, hoping he was right, and sure enough, after another minute's scrambling, the tunnel began to move upwards and opened out into a shadowy room. Pulling himself out of the passage, Albus stood up and brushed dirt off the front of his robes and out of his hair. He leant down to help Adessa to her feet; her robes were tangled around her and her long, blonde hair had become straggly after their journey, but her pale cheeks were flushed an attractive pink from the effort of pulling herself along the passageway and Albus couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was, though her face was half in shadow.

"Albus, are we…are we in the Shrieking Shack?" she said in a hushed, slightly panicky voice.

"Maybe," Albus laughed; her eyes widened in alarm.

"But…what about the ghosts?" she whispered, looking terrified.

Albus remembered the last time he had been here; it had been his second year and James had told him he had something exciting to show him, and, being the foolish twelve year old he had been, he'd followed his brother out to the Whomping Willow, had crawled along the hidden passage after him and emerged into this room. It had looked exactly the same as it did tonight; just as dark, just as dusty. Then James had led him to an upstairs bedroom and said he had to go and fetch something. Albus remembered him leaving the room, closing the door and hearing the lock click; he had called his brother's name and heard him laughing as he made his way back down the stairs. Albus had had to stay in that bedroom all night, waiting for the infamous ghosts to come. But they never had, and the next day, when James had come, laughing, to let him out, he had been forced to admit that maybe there _were_ no ghosts after all.

"I don't think there are any ghosts," he grinned at Adessa, whose look of terror turned to one of scepticism, but she didn't say anything.

Her eyes observed the room they were in; most of the furniture lay on its side, legs and arms broken or hanging by splinters, deep gouge marks in the wood which looked like they had been made by claws – sharp claws at that. Albus assumed there were floorboards under their feet, but they were buried beneath a heavy layer of dust. Thick velvet curtains hung over the boarded up windows; it was impossible to identify what colour they should be in this darkness, but Albus couldn't imagine being able to tell anyway; they looked as dust-covered as the floor. The whole room had a musty smell; a mixture of mould and mothballs. The gaps in the wooden planks over the windows were too thin to allow any moonlight to pass into the room, so Albus had to squint to guide Adessa over to an old-fashioned chair which looked at least a century old; it's arms and legs were carved into lion's claws and the faded leather seat had slashes in just like the ones in the wooden furniture, through which yellowing stuffing was poking out.

Albus tripped over an old desk lying on its side, which he had not seen in the darkness, and fell into the chair, pulling Adessa with him. Laughing, she curled herself, cat-like, in his lap and entwined her fingers with his, staring around at the mildewed furniture; Albus could barely see her eyes in the dark.

"I wonder what did that?" she said in a low voice, pointing to a table leg with three long claw marks running down it.

"I dunno…a cat?" Albus shrugged, not particularly bothered by the mysterious marks or whatever animal made them. Adessa laughed and looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"It must have been a pretty angry cat," she said, sounding amused.

"Maybe it was!" Albus retorted, grinning. Not waiting for her reply, he pulled her towards him and kissed her. He felt his heart pound as she ran her fingers through his untidy black hair, felt his fingertips tingle when he placed his hand on the back of her neck, felt something fiery erupt in his chest…and then she pulled back, breathless but smiling.

"This was a good idea, Albus," she breathed, brushing his fringe back from his eyes.

"What was?" Albus could hardly pay attention to what she was saying; his eyes were too fiercely locked on hers, which seemed to be burning with the same fire that was blazing in his chest.

"Coming here…no interruptions," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm getting sick of it. I don't think there's much chance of being found here, do you?" Albus cringed at the thought of what James would say if he knew he was using his infamous hideout for this.

In reply Adessa grabbed the front of his robes and pressed her lips hard against his. And they were kissing more passionately than they had ever done before…Albus was sure the fire would burst from him; his very skin was burning; his hands gripped Adessa more tightly…

"_Al_?"

Albus and Adessa jumped apart so violently that Adessa fell from his lap onto the floorboards; a cloud of dust blew upwards, making Albus cough and momentarily blocking the newcomers from view.

"J-James?" Albus choked, as the dust cleared and he saw his brother staring at him, his mouth hanging open, his eyebrows having vanished right into his dark hair. He was holding the hand of Rachel, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, who was looking rather awkward.

"What are you doing here?" Albus asked, regretting it almost immediately.

"Erm…" James titled his head towards Rachel and grinned sheepishly. Albus stared down at his shoes and then glanced up at Adessa, who had turned scarlet and whose eyes were focused determinedly on the wall behind Racheal.

"Maybe we should go back to school?" Rachel whispered to James, who nodded and glanced at Albus.

"How about we…er…don't mention this to anybody?" James asked, half-laughing. The question, however, was completely unnecessary; Albus had absolutely no intention whatsoever of mentioning their encounter to anyone.

They crawled on their hands and knees back along the passageway to Hogwarts, ducking their heads so as to keep their hair clear of soil, Albus still flinching at what had just happened. In spite of himself, his mind trailed back to the kiss he had shared with Adessa and his heart began to pound again. _Maybe it wasn't such a bad plan after all_.

The End

**The end! I really hope you enjoyed it, and please, please review!!**


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